Tengo un tenedor o tengo tenedor
 

I've learned that there are some verbs in spanish that after them you dont use 'un'\'una', like: 'tener' or 'sacar'
So why it's legal to say
'Tengo un carro viejo'

I don't think it's accurate to say you don't use indefinite articles with those verbs. :thinking:
Do you have the context where this was stated?


- Tenemos un perro.
- Mis padres tuvieron un accidente.
- ¿Tienes un chicle?
- Tenga un vaso de agua.
- Un día tendré una casa grande.


- Saqué una cita para el médico.
- Voy a hacer un truco de magia: saca una carta.
- Sacaste una buena calificación.
- El temblor me sacó un buen susto.
- Sacamos una rata del jardín.

This is a question someone asked in the Duolingo's forum: https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/2...-tengo-tenedor
The question is why you say 'no tengo tenedor' without indefinite artcile.
The answer says that there are verbs which you dont use indefinite artcile before them.

I know in common speech the unis left out unless there is something particular about the tenedor Frequently it is followed by an adjective to clarify what is particular about the tenedor. Here's an example:Tengo un tenedor nuevo.

If you do a CREA search you'll immediately learn that the not-fully-quoted reference material posted in the other forum is misleading. There are CERTAINLY times when those verbs will be accompanied by an object that is preceded by an indefinite article.
All of the examples listed above by Angélica are a good indicator that incorrect information was provided in the other forum. I had a look at the grammar book myself and saw 'blanket' statements that should have also been quoted. I also found that they listed exceptions to 'the rule' in the self-same section. Only when talking about common/expected things, in general, and on an individual (singular) basis, can the indefinite article sometimes be omitted.

Context matters a great deal. There are times when the indefinite article is omitted and there are times when it is not. You need to accept that context drives usage.

I've also noticed that Duolingo has canned answers/translations that they'll accept, and will flag some valid variations as incorrect. In fact, the forum seems to contain a lot of 'why was this flagged incorrect' questions. The best answer often turns out to be that Duolingo could improve, because they didn't take into consideration that context is key. Learning a word, phrase, or sentence out of context is simply not adequate!

The only case I can think of where you should NOT use an indefinite article is when you're talking about what someone does for a living or when communicating social status.
Soy médico. Soy profesora. ¿Es carpintero usted? Soy estudiante. Soy soltero.

Bottom line, I think this is an inaccurate answer.